In Which I Blog About Etsy, Crafting, Fandom and Anything Else that Keeps My Brains Busy

Monday, October 19, 2009

I'm Back! With Sketchness!

The Renaissance Festival was amazing! We had perfect weather; the place was busting with costumes; and there were a couple of amazing new acts, along with the usual favorites we go to see every year. Now I'm back, caught up on my sleep, and approrpiately, eager to try some new art.**

One of the most amazing shows at the Festival was Shunyata Bellydance, a troop of artists from all over the world. Bellydance acts often disappoint me, because they're prone to emphasizing the Sexy!! aspect over the sensual and artistic side, and turn into, essentially, a strip show. Which I'm not against, in theory, but am horribly bored by in practice.

But these dancers were completely about the art. Their costumes and the stage all worked together; they used the sun just right, even though that's some very unreliable lighting. They used swords and smoking candles and never seemed to be in any danger. And they were funny, telling all kinds of jokes in the movements of their dance.

Oh, yes, and they were very hot. I assume. I mean, I'm not wired to really say if women are sexy, but I'd be feelin' darn sure of my chances if I moved like that, you know?

So I'm going to have lots of dance-based pictures coming to me in the next few days, I expect.

And here's where the problem starts. Every interview with any sort of artist will ask "Where do you get your inspiration?" or worse, "Where do you get your ideas?", which rather misses the point. I mean, getting ideas is easy. Editing them is the tricky bit. I know, for instance, that I want to draw some version of this insane three-bodied goddess move I witnessed. So I draw a basic sketch (aka Attack of the Random Stick People):

But now what? Do I take it in a fairly realistic direction? That could be impressive, if I pull it off. It is pretty complicated, though, and will require another half dozen preliminary sketches:

Or go very cartoony, which would let me emphasize the motions of the dancers and the circle pattern that's all over? That's...not easier, but it could be very neat, too, and let me try more exaggeration than I usually do in cartooning:

Of course, since my digital setup is working again,I may try to do both! What do you think? Would two versions of the same piece look weird in the shop? Should I worry that the two versions don't look very different in Random Stick form? Do you like cookies or ice cream better? Are any of them as good as well-made coffee, of which I should plainly have less?

These are the sort of questions that keep me up all friggin' night. Which explains the posts, yes?

**That's an era-appropriate act I'd love to see at a Renfest-- watch the mad artists! Boggle as they rediscover perspective, proportion, and the concept of "lighting"! Gasp in horror as they yell at the Pope not to interrupt them! Laugh uproariously as they lick the points of their cadmium-soaked brushes and go utterly bonkers!

I'd watch it.***

*** Stupid Renaissance artists, with their "quality" and "realism" and "using more than three colors in a picture". Had to go and make everything complicated....